iPod Shuffle
by Readrbug21
Summary: My entry to the 10 song challenge. Various songs and scenarios, from present to future, rock to rap to country, and everything in between. Enjoy! :D


My entry into the 10 song challenge that's floating around the fandom. I hope you enjoy it!

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**1.That Used To Be Us - Lonestar**

_The names were the same but the faces had changed_

_I didn't recognize anyone there_

Arnold looked around him, at the decorations in the old gym. It had been a couple of decades since he'd last sat foot in the building. He watched everyone as they moved around him, mingling and socializing. It'd been too long.

It was weird…strange, seeing them all in this setting. It was like a play he'd seen over and over, except suddenly the cast was different. He knew the lines, the movements, the props, everything by heart, but it was different without the old, familiar faces.

Reunions were depressing, he decided, as he took a long drink from his punch.

**2. Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts**

_There's a world outside every darkened door_

_Where blues won't haunt you anymore_

_Through all these cities and all these towns_

_It's in my blood and it's all around_

_I love you now like I loved you then_

Driving down an empty interstate, she felt freer than she had in a long time. Anyone watching from the sides would see a hot pink convertible speeding down the road into infinity, pieces of paper and a lone piece of ribbon fluttering down to earth the only remnant.

As she shifted gears, going even faster, her cell phone rang. Slightly irritated at this intrusion into her intimate moment, she glanced at it in the passenger seat.

_Arnold Calling_… it blinked at her.

**3. Bold As Love - John Mayer**

_And all these emotions of mine keep holding me from,_

_Giving my life to a rainbow like you_

_But, I'm, I'm bold, I'm bold as love_

Such a pretty little liar, he thought to himself, as he watched her prance through the hall of the school, chatting with her friend. She acted so shy, so quiet and introspective, when she was in public. When she was with anyone, she put herself away on a shelf in her mind, tucked neatly in storage. When she was with anyone, she didn't voice her concerns, her opinions, her thoughts or dreams or passions.

When she was with anyone but him, that is.

He knew she wasn't quiet. He was her boyfriend, after all.

**4. Temperature - Sean Paul**

_Well woman the way the time cold I wanna be keeping you warm_

_I got the right temperature for shelter you from the storm_

Not crazy, not crazy, not crazy, not crazy not crazy not crazy notcrazynotcrazynotcrazy! What did he have to do to prove to them all that he wasn't crazy?

Rhonda _was_ his soul mate. He knew it. Why did no one, especially Rhonda herself, see that? Wasn't it obvious that his love for her burned within him, filled him with white-hot passion?

**5. A Soldier On His Knees - The Crabb Family**

_I'm not ashamed for you to see _

_This soldier on his knees_

_You may even see a tear, or hear a humble plea_

_Some may call it weakness, and some may question my strength_

_But you must see this power's not of me_

_I prepare for battle on my knees_

When all else failed, he prayed. On his knees at night, beside his bed, he would pray for hours. Sure, it made his knees hurt, and he was so tired the next day that sometimes he would fall asleep, sitting beside her.

But all the pain was worth it when his wife walked out the front doors of the hospital a few days later, holding his baby boy.

**6. Only Heart - John Mayer**

_If you need confirmation, baby I understand_

_I adore you but there's a hole in the cup that should hold my love_

_If you let, if you let, if you let me leave_

_I swear I never will_

She gave it to him 6 years after the FTI incident. She trusted him enough to give it to him, trusted that he would understand what it meant, trusted he would understand the gravity of the situation. It was her only heart, after all. She gave it with no explanation. He would understand, she knew.

Helga held her breath as she watched Arnold pry open the locket.

**7. Cool Thing - Rascal Flatts**

_We walked ankle deep in ocean_

_You know that place where footprints disappear_

It was a cool spring-turning-into-summer day, and Gerald and Phoebe were making the most of having no school. A quick trip to the beach to play in the waves, a picnic, hand-in-hand walking while the sun set…it was perfect.

He hadn't expected to fall in love today.

**8. Belief - John Mayer**

_Oh, everyone believes _

_From emptiness to everything _

_Oh, everyone believes _

_And no one's going quietly _

_Belief is a beautiful armor _

Belief…he still held onto the belief that his parents were out there, alive, waiting for him. No one said it, but he could read it in their eyes, sometimes. _Poor kid, doesn't he realize they're never coming back? They're dead? There's no use trying to fight it, to find them._

He would prove them wrong. He would find them, alive and well. Of course, there were some hindrances. Getting to San Lorenzo, finding anyone who might even remotely know who he was talking about, the language barriers…not to mention he was only eleven.

Sighing, he traced the well worn map one last time before putting it up.

**9. Hold On Loosely - .38 Special**

_Don't let her slip away _

_Sentimental fool _

_Don't let your heart get in her way _

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was meant to be," Helga whispered to him, looking at him with a truth in her eyes.

"What?" he asked, confused.

She closed her eyes and smiled, like she was making some sort of resolution with herself. When she opened her eyes and looked at him again, there was something different. Something was missing from her eyes, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Goodbye, Arnold," she said with a wave as she turned and walked away from him.

She had never been his, so why did it suddenly feel like he had lost something?

**10. Lollipop - Lil' Wayne**

_Man, she ain't never_

_Had a love like mine_

Mmm…candy. Kisses, candy bars, fountains of chocolate…and over there, gumdrop mountains, piles and piles of bubble gum, miles of taffy. Harold was in heaven, for a second time.

Although it was extremely reminiscent of their fourth grade trip- the only difference being the place and the addition of hormones- he didn't care.

Maybe this time, if he got left behind, it wouldn't be so bad.

Especially if Helga came back to get him.

* * *

Author's Note:

So, I decided to take this challenge, and I hope I did well, although I must say, for the record, I suck at timed writing assignments. ;) And I cheated just a little, fixing some grammar/typos and formatting everything after the song was over.

Anyway, about the songs:

1. Not really what I was expecting the first song to be, but it was a fun beginner.

2. Lovely song. I didn't quite get finished with it, but at this time I was sticking to the rules as much as possible, so…there you go. Lol

3. Actually, I've never really listened to this song before this challenge, so the snippet is based off the title mostly.

4. I certainly wasn't expecting this song to pop up while doing this challenge. It was extremely random, and probably doesn't match the snippet very well…

5. I love this song. And the person in this scenario was, in my mind, Harold.

6. Once again, I never really listen to this song, but I think it fits fairly well with the snippet.

7. Love this song. I sort of changed my mind on what I wanted to write during the last, oh, 10 seconds or so of the song, but I left it as is.

8. The third of four songs I never listen to that popped up on this list. The snippet is based mostly on the title.

9. One of my mom's favorite songs, and I like it a lot, too.

10. I have only ever listened to this song twice in my life. My brother put it in my library. Obviously, the little piece of story that came from it was inspired more by the title than the lyrics.


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